Host of show produced by Toledo native nominated for NAACP Image Award

Toledo native Cleveland O’Neal III, who created and runs a TV and film company out of Los Angeles, said the NAACP Image Award nomination for one of his employees, TV moderator Eric Keyes III, is a classic case of David versus Goliath.

O’Neal’s Connection III Entertainment Corp. competes against industry giants like The Walt Disney Company and Nickelodeon. The competition is a daily battle, O’Neal said, and he is pleased Keyes has won a round against such multibillion-dollar companies.

“We are always that little engine that could, the independent distributor battling the giants,” O’Neal said by phone from his offices in LA. “We are continually competing with multibillion-dollar parent companies – Nickelodeon, Disney Company. Connection III is the only non-billion-dollar company nominee.

“It’s a little David and Goliath and we couldn’t be more pleased with this nomination with our meager resources.”

Keyes, who lives in North Hollywood but is originally from Chicago, faces tight competition in his nomination for a 45th annual NCAAP Image Award. The award honors the accomplishments of people of color in television, music, literature and film. Stars such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman, Halley Berry and Angela Bassett have been previous recipients.

Keyes is nominated in the Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Program category for his role in the nationally syndicated TV series “Live Life and Win!”He’s up against China Anne McClain of “A.N.T. Farm,” Karan Brar of “Jessie,” and Zendaya of “Shake It Up,” all from Disney, and Fatima Ptacek of “Dora the Explorer” from Nickelodeon.

“We couldn’t be more excited for Eric. He has played a major role on ‘Live Life and Win!’ since its inception,” O’Neal said. “We hand-picked Eric from a long line of auditions. We decided to take a shot and make him the lead.”

Some well-known names up for other Image Awards this year include Don Cheadle for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Rashida Jones for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and LL Cool J for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.

The ceremony will air live at 9 p.m. Feb. 22.

“Live Life and Win!” is a weekly, half-hour educational and informative show meant to inspire and enlighten young viewers with teenage success stories. Keyes, a segment reporter, interviews teens from all walks of life.

“We’ve met so many interesting people,” Keyes said by phone from North Hollywood. “In the first season there was a blind golfer, a young entrepreneur [who] started his own business – so many amazing kids. We go out and get to talk to most of them and they take us into their world for a little bit.”

Keyes said he has learned during his three years as co-host on the show that one person can make a difference.

The 21-year-old actor began in the industry at a young age. He said he remembers his mother bringing him to auditions for Oscar Mayer and Soul Food commercials. One ad campaign job led to sitting on Oprah Winfrey’s lap.

At 11, Keyes became a published author. His book “The Light in the Dark” was sold at Borders bookstores nationwide. He toured schools, promoting his message “You can turn off your fears and turn on your inner Light in the Dark.”

He went on to land lead roles in national commercials for Disney and McDonalds. He was the male lead in a music video “Wild Ones” by hip-hop artist Flo Rida and was the lead dancer in a music video by rap duo L.M.F.A.O.

He said he would like to go on to study his true love, acting.

The Image Award nomination is “kind of crazy” because his name is up there with well-known Disney actors, he said.

“It’s kind of exciting because I know it means a lot to me, of course, but it means a lot to my family,” Keyes said. “They were thrilled. … Your family puts a lot of work into you. My family has never not backed me on any dreams I might have.”

O’Neal recently sold the 10th season of his signature series franchise, “Made in Hollywood,” and the ninth season of its shoot-off “Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition.”

The “Made in Hollywood” entertainment news series is a behind-the-scenes look into the “how” and “why” movies are made in Hollywood and features interviews with celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp and more.

O’Neal founded his independent production and distribution company after spending time in theater and radio. He produced the first African American after-school special “What About Your Friends: Graduation Blues” for CBS. The show, a first in network television history, was nominated for an Emmy and won an Image Award.

O’Neal said he has an instinct for talent. While developing a script for the first hip-hop beach movie “Phat Beach,” he hired an unknown, Doug Ellin, as director. Ellin would go on to create “Entourage” on HBO.

“We have a long, long history of finding complete unknown talent,” O’Neal said. “We’re hand-picking this talent … no one had heard of [Keyes] and now we’re competing with worldwide giants as we always do.”

Coolio to play at Omni on Nov. 18

Though Coolio helped create one of the most well-known rap songs of all time, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” and has sold more than 30 million records, worldwide recognition and fame were not the reasons he got into music.

“I started rapping because I wanted to have a voice,” Coolio said. “I wanted to be heard. I had a lot to say and I was really opinionated, as I probably still am.”

On Nov. 18, Coolio will perform at the Omni in Toledo at a show that includes a meet-and-greet with the Los Angeles native for $20.

From his unique hairstyle to his colorful personality, Coolio has lived a life that mirrors his eccentric aura. He’s had numerous creative pursuits in his 48 years. In addition to putting out eight solo albums since 1994, Coolio has a television and film career that includes work for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, his own reality show on the Oxygen network and an online cooking show.

Coolio

“I know how to do a lot of things,” Coolio said. “Over the years, I’ve become an expert in a lot of things. Ten-thousand hours in something makes you an expert.”

Those wide-ranging interests started in childhood for Coolio, who was a bright student and avid reader.

“I tested in the top one percentile of the State of California back then,” Coolio said of his grades. “I was a really gifted kid academically.”

That intelligence helped Coolio eventually find his way behind the mic. When he was a young teen, new neighbors from New York moved across the street from where Coolio lived in Compton, Calif., introducing him to the East Coast rap scene. At first, Coolio was trying to focus on school. Then one day as a young teen, he was challenged to write a better rhyme by another New Yorker who hung around his neighborhood.

“I wrote it in 10 minutes,” Coolio recalled of that moment. “I laid it on tape and it was better than his. And I think from that moment is when I fell in love with Hip-Hop. After that, it was every day. I was writing something every single day.”

15 years to fame

Though singles “Watcha Gonna Do” and “You’re Gonna Miss Me” in the late 1980s weren’t successful, Coolio had gotten enough exposure in the local rap scene that he landed a spot in the group WC and the Maad Circle and was part of its 1991 debut album “Ain’t A Damn Thang Changed” on Priority Records. Once his solo deal with Priority Records fell through due to controversy surrounding the man who signed him, Coolio spent years in limbo wondering if his rap career would ever take off.

After working on a demo and shopping it for six months, Coolio continued to get rejection letters until Paul Stewart took a listen.

“Within three weeks, I had three offers [from record companies],” Coolio said.

Coolio signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1994, releasing his debut record “It Takes a Thief” that same year. The single “Fantastic Voyage” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while the album itself peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart and went platinum. After 15 years of rapping, Coolio was happy he finally had a steady means to provide for his family.

“I just asked God; I just said, ‘I want to make one album,’” Coolio said. “I said, ‘I put 15 years into this, man. I deserve to make one album and let people hear it.’ And it happened.”

Unexpected paradise

The success that followed for Coolio in the next year was unforeseen. One day he went to go pick up a check from his manager, who had a home studio. Doug Rasheed was there working on the beat from Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” and Coolio liked what he heard.

“Now this is real crazy right here,” Coolio said. “I sat down. I started writing ‘Gangsta’s Paradise.’ I never picked up the pen. It all came out all at once.”

Featuring R&B singer L.V., Coolio said Tommy Boy Records initially thought the song was too dark. He ended up licensing it for the soundtrack to the film “Dangerous Minds,” and the rest is history. “Gangsta’s Paradise” shot all the way up to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, became the No. 1 single across all genres in 1995 and reached No. 1 in 13 countries. The song was the title track on Coolio’s next album, which was certified two-times platinum by the RIAA.

“It was almost like a fluke,” Coolio said. “Like I said, it was just a random series of events that ended up being my legacy.”

Coolio said his crossover success did not earn him respect from many in his genre.

“The United States where I was born and raised, the country I call home, I get more love from other places,” Coolio said. “I get more love from people that don’t even speak my language than I do from my own people.”

Coolio feels slighted that his musical achievements have yet to receive recognition from VH1 Hip Hop Honors and that he gets labeled a one-hit wonder for “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Having performed in places such as Africa, Australia, Brazil, Europe, Israel, Japan and Thailand, Coolio said he still does between 75 and 100 shows each year.

“The biggest compliment I ever got — even more than the Grammy [for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1996] — I won the World Music Award,” Coolio said. “I think that was so much more important than the Grammy.”

A father of six, Coolio’s nephew and all three of his sons rap. His eldest son, Artis, goes by the stage name A.I. and travels with him.

“You love it, but still with a ton of apprehension because if you know what you’ve been through, I see that it’s going to be just as difficult for him as it was for me,” Coolio said of A.I.

Coolio’s eccentricities have earned him both the fruits of his labor as well as run-ins with the law over the course of his career, transgressions he owned up to.

“I honestly have to say most of the things I’ve been through, man, I could’ve avoided,” Coolio said. “I actually could’ve. With that being said, a lot of s— that happened to me was absolutely my fault.”

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‘Nicktoons MLB’: SpongeBob at the plate

Major League Baseball players from every team combine with 25 popular Nickelodeon characters like SpongeBob SquarePants, Fanboy, and Ren and Stimpy in “Nicktoons MLB” (2K Play).

Each playable character has its own strengths and weaknesses while players can also create their own lineups. This Wii version of the baseball game has three control schemes: nunchuk and remote, remote only or classic controller for up to two players.

The ball mechanics and pitching controls are very strong, but timing on the batting takes some adjustment. At times, it feels like a delay in reaction time, so fast pitches often overwhelm the batting, especially when playing against the computer. Successful gameplay unlocks special turbo powers and special actions including shaking the remote to make fielders jump to catch a potential home run. There is no automatic fielding, but the options are very intuitive based on the directional pad (right is first base, up is second base, etc.).

Pitching requires a target choice in the rectangular strike zone, then various motions/control choices.

The strong graphics feature 12 different stadiums (six MLB and six Nick). Younger players will need help with the complicated, text-heavy menus. Choice confirmations should have been added to avoid frustrating menu navigation (e.g., accidently losing information when backing out with the B button).

The virtual trading cards and character dialogue quips are a nice touch, but the overall mechanics need improvement (**1/2, rated E for comic mischief, also available on Xbox 360 (Kinect motion controller) and Nintendo DS).

Detroit native Billy West returns for new season of ‘Futurama’

Billy West manipulates his voice for comedic effect in cartoons like “Futurama,” but he developed his craft as a coping mechanism during an abusive childhood.

“I came from an incredibly violent household,” West said. “I was traumatized, and I lived in my own world. That’s probably where my ADD came from. I couldn’t pay attention to anything that was real.”

Growing up in Detroit as the oldest of three sons, West was physically abused by his alcoholic father. He often used comedy to comfort his mother and used characters as a means to escape.

Billy West (AP)

“I made up my whole world I lived in and populated it with these entities and characters. For what, I’ll never know. There was no way you could have a future doing those kinds of things, or so people told you. They said, ‘What are you going to do? You better get with reality and cut the crap. Stop living in these parallel universes.’ I didn’t want to come back. Coming back was too painful. I didn’t want to leave. That’s kind of how I grew up.”

When he was in the sixth grade, his mother got a divorce and moved the family to Boston. West, 61, began abusing drugs and alcohol around the age of 21. He entered rehab after a series of car accidents and has been sober for nearly 28 years.

“I was always messing around with noises and voices,” West said. “I studied people. I was like an alien. I felt really disenfranchised as a kid. I used to watch others to see how to be human. Like, ‘Oh, that’s how you cry. That’s how you laugh. That’s how you get mad, and that’s how you have fun.’ I never could experience it when I was little. I had to watch others doing things. Eventually, after years of therapy, I cut through a bunch of scar tissue and managed to put all those skills that were developed, out of total survival, to good use in the future. I’m applying myself every week on Comedy Central.”

The sixth season of “Futurama” debuted June 30. West stars as Philip J. Fry, a delivery boy who was cryogenically frozen by accident on New Year’s Eve and wakes in the year 2999. West modeled Fry’s voice after himself at the age of 25.

“I put the innocence that I had into the character,” he said. “Fry is kind of oblivious. I think Fry has ADD. I know I did. I also had OCD. Nothing registered in my head. I totally lived in my own world. I think I borrowed a little bit from that.”

“Futurama” was developed by “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening. The first four seasons aired from 1999-2003 on FOX. After Comedy Central acquired its rights, the show released four direct-to-DVD films from 2007-09. The network then picked up the show for a 26-episode fifth season.

“I always felt bad after the first go-round,” West said. “I said ‘How can they take this off television? It’s too good not to be on TV.’ If one thing ends, you just keep going. You never know when you’re recording anything that it’s going to be a cultural phenomenon. When it came back, I was thrilled because it’s my favorite show.”

Like any other fan, West watches episodes for the first time when they air.

“It’s surreal hearing my voice come out of anywhere,” he said. “I have to compartmentalize and think, it’s not me who did that so I can enjoy it. I act like I had nothing to do with it so I can enjoy the episode. I loved the premiere. I thought it played great. I’m sure when the cast gets together for table reads, we’ll get a good kick out of talking about it. It’s off to a good start.”

Comedy Central apparently agrees; in March, the network ordered an additional 26-episode season to debut in 2012.

Filling in for Phil

West initially auditioned for nearly every character on “Futurama.” He was cast as Professor Farnsworth and Dr. Zoidberg, but he earned the role of Fry after early casting changes. One character he didn’t audition for was Zapp Brannigan. The character was written for Phil Hartman, but he died before recording began and West stepped into the role.

“I remember reading for it and doing sort of pompous disc jockeys I’ve worked with over the years that love their own voice,” West said. “I thought it was perfect for that character. I knew Phil Hartman, and we worked together. We spent the whole time talking about how we both had a love for radio. It ended up sounding like Phil Hartman. I thought of his pompousness when he did those kinds of characters. I put my own spin on it by exaggerating the ends of words.”

The radio voice came easy for West, who worked on a morning radio show in Boston. When he moved to New York City, he did impressions on the “Howard Stern Show” from 1989-95.

“I was always laughing,” he said. “It was so cathartic to be laughing all the time. I’d come out of there high from laughing. It really is a release.”

With West also voicing various bit characters on “Futurama” such as Richard Nixon’s head, there have been several scenes where he essentially held a conversation with himself. During these recording sessions, he seamlessly transitions between voices in real time. While he enjoys talking to himself, he prefers recording with the other actors.

“We kind of riff off each other,” he said. “Once somebody gets some silliness going and everybody piles on, that energy transfers to the script when you’re reading it. Stuff happens between the recordings that’s hilarious, too. It’s stuff nobody gets to hear. I think it’s good energy. We ad-lib all the time. They at least let us try ideas.”

Ren & Stimpy & Doug & …

West is experienced in providing multiple voices thanks to his days as both main characters and various other roles on Nickelodeon’s “The Ren & Stimpy Show.”

“That was so much screaming and yelling,” he said. “You could burn out on one character and not be able to do the other one. Both of them would gang up on you unless you did them one at a time. That was a tough one. I used to come out of there with no voice.”

He also provided the title character on Nickelodeon’s “Doug.”

“I really enjoyed doing that show,” he said. “It was a really sweet show. I put a lot of myself into that character. I used to daydream all the time when I was in school. Occasionally I’ll see a Quailman costume at Comi-Con. It’s really heartwarming to see. I was the same way growing up in the ’50s, but we didn’t really have that freedom of expression. I tried like hell though to make costumes and superhero stuff.”

His two shows premiered in 1991 and aired on Sundays along with “Rugrats” as the original Nicktoons. The trio formed somewhat of a cartoon dynasty for Nickelodeon.

“It was exciting, because they were taking on the other networks as far as children’s programming,” West said. “That’s quite a bold venture, but they managed to do it. They gave the other networks a black eye and made their children’s programming look like garbage. Disney went nuts and was spectrum analyzing Nickelodeon. The other networks just gave up on Saturday mornings. They didn’t want to do animation anymore. The other networks were ripping out their hair.”

West got to participate in another cartoon dynasty when he voiced Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in the 1996 film “Space Jam” alongside Michael Jordan. He’s also voiced other iconic characters such as Shaggy, Woody Woodpecker and Popeye.

“They are not characters I created,” West said. “The best work was done before any of us were born. I’m always glad for the opportunity to do a franchise character. Before I had a chance to formulate any characters of my own, I was being taken to school every morning by watching the old Warner Bros. stuff and all the other cartoons. I watched like a little sponge. I was such a student of animation.”

Two of West’s heroes in voice acting are Jack Mercer and Jackson Beck, who voiced Popeye and Bluto, respectively. He met Beck in New York City while working together on a Fruit Roll-Ups commercial.

“I sat there working with him and felt somehow special I got to be in the same room with someone like that,” he said. “The guy was a titan. Here was this big beautiful voice of this guy I’d heard for so many years. I heard that voice my entire life. I was working with this mighty old lion. It was really intimidating. He enjoyed it and was a total pro. I went home so thrilled.”

West has lent his voice to several other commercials, including playing the role of the Red M&M since 1996.

“It’s an American icon, and it’s kind of a wise-guy, smart-alecky voice,” he said. “People like the red and yellow characters enough where we’ve been doing it for a long time. They put so much into the commercials. It’s the world’s most popular candy, so it’s exciting for me to do it.”

'Ren & Stimpy'

While voice acting might sound like an easy job, West emphasized the complexity of the craft and is outspoken against the trend of handing roles to inexperienced celebrities.

“People think you just show up and talk, garbage like that,” West said. “It’s not like that at all. There is so much more to it. You have to be able to convey and evoke emotions just with certain nuances in your voice. I don’t have the luxury of doing my own voice for everything. You can get it down as an actor. They aren’t going to change their voice much for roles. In voice acting, you do have to get rid of yourself all together.”

West would like to keep celebrities away from his profession, and he is happy to reciprocate by staying out of their spotlight.

“I kind of like it how I don’t get any attention,” he said. “The work speaks for itself. I don’t need to be a celebrity. Celebrities aren’t my heroes. Artists are my heroes. If everybody is a celebrity, then nobody is. There are too many celebrities for almost no reason at all. To even think of myself like that is an absurdist notion.”

He is content to stand behind the face of Fry at 10 p.m. Thursdays on Comedy Central. If he ever retires from acting, West might still put his voice to good use. He used to play guitar and sing in a band called Billy West and The Grief Counselors.

“It’s very hard to get guys my age to come out and play,” he said. “They’re all married and have kids. Some of them have grandchildren. I have a room full of guitars and I just play. I’d love to get into a situation with some other players. I love playing music and singing.”

‘Storytime’ unites Nick Jr. superstars Dora, Kai-lan

Grown-up music fans may consider this summer’s Lollapalooza tour, with its rumored lineup of Lady Gaga, Green Day and Soundgarden, to be 2010’s hottest ticket, but the preschool set has its own superstar tour to look forward to.

Nickelodeon and Broadway Across America have teamed-up to present “Storytime Live!” a stage show that unites Dora the Explorer, The Wonder Pets!, The Backyardigans, Kai-lan and hosts Moose A. Moose and Zee. The show will stop at Toledo’s Stranahan Theater at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 and 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 23.

Laura Dadap

The 70-city tour is described as a stage performance that “takes kids and their families on brand-new adventures, from leaping into Fairytale Land with Dora and Sleeping Boots, journeying through Filthingham with The Backyardigans, hopping into Wonderland with the Wonder Pets! or jumping on clouds with Kai-lan and the Monkey King.”

In anticipation of the show, Dora will be at Imagination Station from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and at Books-A-Million in Levis Commons from 2 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 20.

Two of the shows actors, Peej Mele, who plays host Moose A. Moose, and Laura Dadap, who portrays Kai-lan, took a break from rehearsals Feb. 12 to speak by phone with Toledo Free Press from a York, Pa., coffee shop. Both young actors have appeared in several regional theater productions, and were excited about embarking on their first national tour.

Toledo Free Press: Kai-lan is a pioneering character for Chinese culture, much like Dora was for Hispanic culture. Moose is the main teacher on Nick Jr. How familiar were you with the impact of these characters when you took the role?

Laura Dadap: I have a lot of little friends who love Kai-lan, friends’ kids who are so excited to see it. This format is like a rock concert that brings all the kids’ favorites together. You can’t make an exact replica of what you see on TV, but it’s close. Chinese was my first language, so I know how authentic the show is with the Mandarin language and culture. My grandmother loves that I am using my Chinese skills.

Peej Mele: I am starting to realize how big a star Moose is. Kids just jump up and down for him. Moose is a wonderful, unique character. The role is exciting and funny for kids and parents. They do a great job with the songs.

TFP: It must be a physical challenge, acting, dancing and singing as you work through the choreography with actors in full costume and the puppets.

Dadap: We are very aware of their presence; a lot of the actors communicate through their voices and body language. It is amazing how intricate the costumes are. My parents say I’ve been singing since I came out of the womb, so this is my love.

Mele: Most of the animal characters are wearing suits perfectly adapted from the cartoons; the engineering is amazing. It’s not as overwhelming as one would think, because it’s so well choreographed. As actors, we assimilate into the characters and it becomes real while we are on stage.

Peej Mele

TFP: Kai-lan is a preschool age girl. How do you inhabit that on stage and still play to parents in the audience?

Dadap: There’s something in the show for everyone. This is important, because it will be the first many of these kids have seen any kind of theater, and we want to inspire them to go again. We are careful to be real with the kids; we don’t talk down to them. Parents know we are trying to respect the kids.

TFP: How are you getting along with Zee? Any diva action backstage from The Wonder Pets! or The Backyardigans?

Mele: Working with Zee is like being on ‘Sesame Street.’ The puppets really take on a life of their own and are wonderfully expressive. I love being onstage with Zee. All the characters get along well.

Dadap: Everyone in the show has been wonderful. There haven’t been any backstage issues; we all know the mission is for the kids.

Tickets for “Storytime Live!” in Toledo can be purchased by calling (419) 474-1333, visiting the Stranahan Theater Box Office or ordering online at the Web site www.ticketmaster.com.

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